1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a surgical suturing needle for suturing cutaneous and subcutaneous tissue, and in particular, relates to a surgical needle including a blunt needle end for minimizing undesired or inadvertent penetration of tissue while also possessing cutting edges extending from the blunt needle end to provide penetration capabilities comparable to conventional pointed surgical needles.
2. Background of Related Art
Suturing needles for applying sutures, or stitches, by hand in cutaneous and sub-cutaneous tissue are well known in the art. Typically, the suturing needles are used to close wounds or adjoin adjacent tissue, often at the conclusion of a surgical procedure. Suturing needles are usually made from a cut blank of material such as stainless steel. The cut blank is metal-worked using well known machining techniques to form the suturing needle. The needle generally includes a shaft, a rear end portion with an aperture or channel to secure a suture thread and a needle head at a front end portion for puncturing skin and passing through tissue. The needle head typically incorporates a sharpened needle tip at its distal end and cutting edges. Alternatively, the needle tip may be of a tapered configuration. Straight and curved needles including multiple curved configurations are also known in the art.
Conventional suture needles typically incorporate an extremely sharpened needle end. Sharper needles require less force to penetrate tissue and thus cause less tissue trauma. In addition, a sharper needle reduces fatigue on the needle itself, making it less likely to bend or break during suturing. Needle sharpness is typically defined in terms of “penetration force”—the force necessary for a needle to puncture, or penetrate, the tissue. The penetration force is primarily determined by the design and sharpness of the needle point and the cutting edges formed on the needle head. Needle sharpness is also affected by drag force on the needle as it travels through the tissue. The drag force also depends upon the design and sharpness of the needle, and the presence of a lubricating coating.
However, sharper needles also increase the potential for inadvertent penetrating of neighboring healthy tissue and/or sticking of operating room personnel, their gloves, etc. To address these concerns, blunt surgical needles have been proposed. These surgical needles are generally of the taper-point design gradually tapering to a blunt needle end. However, these blunt taper point needles are devoid of cutting edges which detract from their usefulness in suturing tissue where relatively high penetration and drag forces are required to accomplish each needle pass.